A Conversation
by T.J.M.Traveller
Summary: Emma and Neal have a good talk for the first time since Manhattan and everything with Cora.
1. Chapter 1

**Just something I came up with. I hope you like it! I don't know if it's gonna be more than this. I used the conversation from the Swanthief sneak peek for episode 2x21, but the rest is just based on my imagination. Just let me know what you think. And I'm working on my other fic **

Neal stood in front of the apartment with the keychain in his hand. He decided to give it back to Emma. It didn't belong with him, it was hers. He knocked on the door.

'I'll take it.' He heard Emma say to her parents. A moment later the door was swung open by the beautiful blond.

'Hey Emma.' He smiled carefully.

'Henry is still at school. You're his father, you should know that.' She was still pushing him away. It was never about them, always about Henry.

'I'm not here for Henry.'

Emma let out a deep sigh. 'What is it Neal? More people coming into town? Maybe we should start a souvenir shop?'

He smirked. 'I don't think that's necessary.' His grip around the keychain tightened. 'Can I come in?'

The blond hesitated for a moment, but then stepped aside so he could enter the apartment. In the apartment he saw Emma's parents sitting at the table. Prince Charming and Snow White. He understood why Henry adored his grandparents; who wouldn't want the two most famous fairy tale characters as their grandparents? It was a young boy's dream come true.

'Neal, how are you?' Snow White, Mary Margaret, or.. Whatever asked him. He thought it was best to call her Mary Margaret, since that was the name Emma used for her mother.

'I'm fine, thank you-' He hesitated. '-Mary Margaret.'

She gave him a quick nod. 'You want something to drink?' She asked as she stood up and walked to the kitchen. Her husband hadn't said a thing since Neal had entered the apartment.

'No, thank you. I just wanted to talk with Emma real quick.'

Emma walked over to the stairs. 'Neal.' She gave him a sign that said he should follow her. He followed her up the stairs and they ended up in her bedroom.

'What is it?' She stood in the room with her arms crossed in front of her chest. She was so not going to make this easy on him.

'I want to give you this.' His held up his hand. 'It doesn't belong to me.' The moment she saw the familiar keychain, her eyes hardened.

'I don't want it Neal. I gave it back to you.'

'Please, Emma, just take it back.' He grinned. 'I stole it for you, remember.' When his words reached her he saw a quick smile appear on her face. They were not completely broken. There was this small thread holding them together. And that thread was the fact that they had actually been really happy all those years ago.

The smile on Emma's face faded pretty quick and the walls were back up at full force.

'What are you really doing here, Neal?'

'I wanted to give you back the keychain.' He knew he was avoiding the question. This was not what she wanted to hear.

'I didn't mean that Neal. You know that.' She looked down, taking in a deep breath. 'Why did you come to the apartment? I don't think you just came here for that stupid keychain.'

He walked over to her. He raised his hand to reach for hers, but pulled back before he touched her. 'I just-' He wanted to take away all the pain and hurt he had caused. Let her know that she had been in his mind for all these years. Even Tamara couldn't make him forget her. But if he would say that, she would just get angry and bringing up Tamara would hurt her even more. 'I just want to make things right.' This was the best he could do without upsetting her.

'We're perfectly fine, Neal.' Great, now she was also in denial.

'Em, come on. You know we're not. We haven't had a real change to actually talk since you knocked me down in Manhattan. Since then we have been in some crazy rollercoaster ride.'

She didn't answer him.

Okay, he would have to do all the talking then. 'I'm sorry. I don't know what else I can say to ease the pain.'

Still she didn't say a word. Her eyes were locked at the ground, while her arms were crossed in front of her chest.

'August send me a postcard.' He hesitated. 'When you broke the curse, he send me a postcard.'

'Great.' She shook her head in disbelieve. 'So.. You didn't think of coming to Storybrooke yourself after I broke the curse.' She didn't look him in the eyes, but at least there was a response.

'I wanted to look for you.. But I was afraid.'

Emma looked up to him. 'Of what?'

_Okay, he was just going to tell her. _'That you would never forgive me.. Cause I never forgave myself.' He took a deep breath. 'There hasn't been a day that's gone by that I don't regret having left you.'

Her head was lifted, but she was looking at a point behind him, probably avoiding his eyes. _Why did it have to be so god damn difficult to even talk!_

'A coward.. Just like your father, huh?'

That was just mean. She knew he didn't want to be like his father, at all. 'That is not true, Emma. I'm nothing like him and you know that.'

'Don't be so sure of that. The first time you walked away and when you're given a second chance you didn't take it.'

'Didn't you hear anything I just said? I regret leaving you, and you have been in my thoughts every single day.'

'But apparently that wasn't enough to make you go to Storybrooke after receiving the postcard.'

_Damn it._ 'Be honest. Would you have forgiven me? No. You still don't.'

'Maybe it would have made a difference. If you had come looking for me. If you had told me the truth about who you actually are. If you had told me why the hell you left me.'

'If, if, if.. You don't know what would have happened Emma.' He raised his voice.

'No, but I wish I did!' She yelled back at him.

'I'm trying here, Emma. Trying to apologise for what I did and instead of constantly getting angry at me and walking away, you could try to accept the apology.'

'Is the fact that you were afraid that I wouldn't forgive you the only reason you didn't come to Storybrooke?'

'Where are you going with this Emma?'

'Maybe Tamara has something to do with this..'

_There we go again.._ He sighed. 'Can't you just leave her out of this conversation?'

'Why can't you trust me on this one. She has a hidden agenda, but you're just too stupid to see it.'

'Tamara wouldn't hurt me or anyone else. Why won't you believe me?'

'I stopped believing you a long time ago.'

Neal rubbed his face. Having a conversation with Emma was so frustrating. 'I met Tamara the day August told me he was going to Storybrooke to help you break the curse. It was just like Tamara told you. Nothing special about it.'

'So Tamara is one of the reasons you didn't come to Storybrooke.'

'Please, Emma, stop being the jealous ex!' He let out a frustrated sigh.

'I'm not jealous! I'm just trying to protect you!' Emma started yelling again.

'I don't need protection from you!'

'Apparently you do! And since you don't protect our son, I have to.'

'Protect our son! You teach him how to break an entry, how to spy on people! You're the sheriff for God's sake!'

'I dare you to follow her when she's going out on her own.'

'I'm not going to spy on my fiancé Emma! That's ridiculous!'

'You're just afraid that I might be right about her!'

Neal shook his head. 'I'm not gonna argue with you about Tamara.'

'Of course.' It was so easy to see when Emma put her walls back up. At least it was for him.

'Emma, I wouldn't to marry her if I didn't completely trust her.'

She was looking away again. 'Why are you still here? Go back to her.'

He hurt her, again. They kept fighting and hurting each other. 'We didn't finish our conversation.'

Emma let out a deep sigh. 'Why are we even doing this?'

He played with the keychain. 'We're doing this because I don't want you to hate me.'

Emma looked him straight in the eye. 'I could never hate you Neal. Never.'

Her voice was so soft, that he wasn't sure if he heard it right. 'You don't hate me?'

'No, I couldn't Neal.'

She sounded so vulnerable and … Something else. Without thinking he took her in his arms. 'We're pretty messed up, huh?'

She chuckled. 'Yeah..' Emma rested her head on his shoulder.

Defeated. That's what Emma had sounded like. Like she had given up fighting her feelings. But why had he wanted her to give up, so desperately? He was with Tamara. He should not want Emma so much.. Maybe his father had been right. Neal held her close and for a few minutes none of them moved or talked. He pressed his lips on the top of her head, desperately holding on to this moment. It was so familiar and he had missed her so much. It was Emma who broke the spell.

'You should go, Neal. I'm sure Tamara is waiting for you to return.' She took a step back with a polite smile on her face.

'What about us?' He already missed her warmth and smell.

'You need to give me some time Neal. I want to fix this, I do, but it's gonna take some time.'

'Then I'll give you that.'

'Thank you, Neal.' She opened the door of the bedroom. 'And I don't forgive you yet, but I'm willing to give you another chance..' Emma gave him a quick smile.

Neal felt relieved. She gave him another opportunity, an opportunity to do it right this time. But right how? He was engaged.. That was something he had to think about.

They went downstairs. Emma opened the door and he said a quick goodbye to Mary Margaret and David, who were sitting at the table. Before walking out the door, he turned around a gave Emma kiss on the cheek. 'Thank you.' And he took her right hand and put the necklace in it. 'It's yours.'


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I got some great reviews on the last chapter and I have an idea of where I'm gonna take this. This chapter doesn't include Neal, at least not in person, but I felt like writing this. There hasn't really been a moment where the Charming family actually got to discuss this whole situation with Neal. In my story David knows practically nothing, just so you know.**

**Let me know what you think of it this chapter! Reviews are always appreciated, as are followers and favourites **

Emma closed the door behind Neal, her cheeks red. She let her head rest against the door. The amount of feelings floating through her were conflicting. Her thoughts were interrupted by her mother.

'Emma, you're okay?' Mary Margaret rubbed her back.

_No, I'm not._ 'Yes, I'm fine.' She turned around to face her father and mother. The looks on their face made her want to run. She was _so_ going to avoid this talk. With her hand she pointed to the stairs. 'I'm just gonna-'

'No, Emma, you're not.' Mary Margaret spoke with an authoritarian voice. 'Sit.' That tone was new and it surprised Emma.

'I don't have to take orders from you.'

'Yes, you do, I'm your mother.' The brunette waved to the table. 'Sit and talk. Now.'

'You decide that now, you're going to be the parent.' This was annoying.

'Yes. Will you now, please, sit down Emma.' Mary Margaret's tone was now more pleading.

'Listen to your mother Emma.' David joined the conversation. He was sitting at the table with a steaming mug in front of him.

Emma let out a frustrated sigh and plopped down on the nearest chair. 'I don't want to talk about it, you know that right?'

'Yes, we know Emma, but we really liked it if you'd tell us about Neal.' David took a sip of his coffee. 'I know nothing about the guy and what happened between you two.'

'You know he's Henry's father and that he's Rumpelstiltstkin's sun..' Emma was playing with the keychain. _And that is enough…_

'Just start from the top. How did you guys meet?' Mary Margaret did another attempt at getting her daughter to tell the story.

_Ugh.. Whatever. _Emma decided that she should just tell them the whole story. Mary Margaret would keep asking questions anyway, and fighting with her new found parents didn't seem like a good plan. 'I'll tell you..-' Her mother's face lit up. '-on one condition. No, and I repeat no, interruptions. Agreed?'

Mary Margaret and David exchanged a quick look and both nodded in agreement.

'So….' Where should she start? Especially if she wanted to avoid hurting her parents. 'I just got out of the system and I needed some kind of transport. One day I was walking around and I saw this cute little car. I came back the next day with the equipment I needed to open the door and get the engine started. It all went pretty smooth.. So far. The moment I drove away someone popped up in the back of the car. He told me I could have just asked him for the keys. His name was Neal Cassidy. Then-'

'Wait a second, Emma. You stole a car?' The brunette looked pretty shocked.

'Yes, and it gets better.' She couldn't help, smiling at the memory. 'But I thought we agreed on the "no interruptions".'

'Go on, Emma.' Her father gave her a quick nod, while grabbing his wife's hand.

'Okay.. Uhm.. Because I was shocked, I didn't watch the signs and I drove through a stop sign. The police noticed and had us pull over. Somehow Neal talked us out of it. When I drove away he said that _we_ got lucky.'

'We?'

'Yes, I had stolen a stolen car.' She had to admitted it was a good story.

David apparently agreed with her and laughed. 'You were stealing.' He shook his head. 'Like mother like daughter.'

Emma frowned at the comment. It was weird when he said that. Mary Margaret was her mother.. They shared certain similarities.. 'I think Henry told me something about that..' Something about Snow White stealing from the Evil Queen.

'It's not about me right now. That's a story for another time. What happened after that?'

She decided to skip the whole first date, first kiss and so. That would be way too embarrassing, especially with David here. 'We went on a couple of dates and became.. A couple, a team.. Partners.' She shrugged. 'We had to steal to survive and most of the time we lived in the bug. If we were lucky we could take a shower at a motel room, right before someone would come to clean it.' She had to admit that she had been incredibly happy back then. It had not mattered that they lived in a car, that they had to steal, that they had no income, they had each other, and that was enough. At least back then. 'One day we were at this motel and Neal suggested getting a real home, together.' Emma quickly looked up at her parents. It was hard to read her parents' faces. 'He took a map of America and told me to pick a spot. I picked Tallahassee.' Her hands were busy with the keychain.

'Emma, what is it with the necklace?' Mary Margaret had noticed the small silver necklace in Emma's hands.

'It was a gift from Neal. It's actually a keychain. Neal stole it for me.' A sheepish smile appeared on her face. _Oh no!_ These stupid memories had awaken the butterflies in her stomach.

'I'm lost here. If you were going to settle down, how did Henry end up with neither of his parents?'

_Ouch._ 'Cause we didn't get to the settling down part. Neal left me.'

'Why?'

'I'll first tell you what I thought that happened.' _Which was not going to be pretty_. 'Before Neal met me, he had stolen a bunch of expensive watches. These watches were stored in a locker at a train station. When we went there, Neal found out he was wanted for this crime. He told me he had to leave me, that he had to go to Canada. Without me. I wouldn't let him, and offered to pick up the watches myself. We made a plan and I went to get the watches. I met Neal in the car with the watches. I handed him the watches, so he could sell them.' Emma paused. This was the hardest part. 'We said goodbye to each other and he left me with one of the watches. I would meet him in an hour at a parking lot.' She took a deep breath. Thinking about that one moment, it still hurt. 'Neal never showed up. Never. Instead of him a police men appeared, arresting me for possession of stolen goods and telling me "my boy" would be in Canada right now.' Emma tightened her fist with the keychain in it.

'So, if I'm understanding this right, then that _man_, send you off to prison!' David's voice was filled with anger. 'If he dares to show his face around here ever again..'

'David..' Mary Margaret took her husband's hand in hers and squeezed it, trying to calm him down.

'That's why I thought that happened until recently. Apparently Neal left me for a reason.' She looked her parents in the eye. 'August told him to.'

'How did August get involved in this?' David was totally lost.

'Mary Margaret, you told him right?'

'Told me what?'

'That August came through the wardrobe together with Emma.'

'Ah, that.' David was still angry.

'Marco told the young August to take care of me, but when I was still a baby, August ran away with some other kids.'

'But how.. Neal and August?'

'I guess that at a certain point August decided to pick up his task again. He found me and saw that I was with Neal. August thought this kept me from fulfilling my destiny and convinced Neal to leave me.'

'If August hadn't been a kid, I would have punched him in the face after punching Neal.' David was way too overprotective. Although she had to admit it was nice having someone that cared for her.

'When did you find out you were pregnant?'

'In jail.'

Mary Margaret nodded. 'And you never saw Neal again.'

'Not until a few weeks ago, but..' She sighed.

'But what?'

'When I got out of jail, I waited for him..' She swallowed. 'For two years.. In Tallahassee. ' She was close to crying, so she shook her head. Trying to get it back together. 'So, that's it.'

Looking at her parents, she saw that Mary Margaret's cheeks were wet and that David was furious.

David stood up abruptly. 'If he ever, _ever_,-'

'David, stop. You know his Henry's father right? He's going to be here.' _And I want him around_. She was not going to say that out loud.

'I can still-'

'No, you can't. Please, let it be.'

'You ask me to do.. _Nothing?_'

'Yes.' Although she had to admit David hitting Neal, would be hilarious to see, she just didn't want to explain to the whole world, why her father had hit him.. That would be really awkward..

David shook his head in disagreement.

Mary Margaret was still sitting at the table, eyeing her daughter with care. 'Emma.'

'Yeah?' She didn't like the way Mary Margaret was looking at her.

'Do you still have feelings for Neal?'

_Yes!_ 'No. Of course not.' _Just deny it._

'Emma, I can see it.'

Way to observant. 'Come on, I don't have feelings for Neal!'

Mary Margaret smiled. 'Of course, Emma.'

'Emma?' David was checking.

'I told you, I don't have feelings for Neal! Now can we stop with the interrogation!' _I don't have feelings for Neal? If they only knew…_

'Good.' David looked relieved. 'Anyone want another cup of coffee?' He walked to the kitchen.

'Yes, I'd love one.' Mary Margaret smiled lovingly at her husband.

'I'm just going to my room to.. do stuff.' She stood up and walked to the stairs. 'Thanks for listening.' Emma gave her parents a quick smile and went up the stairs.

In her room she let herself fall on the bed. She just laid there, staring at the ceiling. Thinking. Thinking about Neal, about Henry, about her parents, about August, about Neal.. More and more thinking about Neal. She didn't know what to do next.

Voices from downstairs reached her. Mary Margaret and David were discussing everything they just heard. She tried to catch every word they said.

'David, are you blind?'

'What?'

'Our daughter is falling for that guy.'

'Oh no, no she isn't. She said it herself.'

'And you believe her?'

'Why wouldn't I?'

'Men.'

'I don't want her involved with Neal. At least not more than necessary. He's just going to hurt her again.'

'You don't know that and don't you want her to have her happy ending?'

Emma rolled her eyes. A _Happy Ending_. Only people from a world like the Enchanted Forest, could speak about things like that.

Her father's answer shocked her. 'Not if it's with him.'

'Charming, you have to give him a chance. Everyone deserves at least one.'

'I don't feel like giving him one.'

Emma could hear Mary Margaret standing up and walking towards, probably, David. 'Just try, okay? For Emma.'

'I'll try.'

Then the talking stopped and she heard some laughter and footsteps, so she focused on something else. She grabbed a pillow and covered her face with it. _I'm in so much trouble…_ There was no denying her feelings for Neal, at least not to herself, but to the rest of the world she had to. There were to specific reasons for not telling anyone about her feelings for Neal. First, Neal is with Tamara and they are engaged. Second, her father is not very font of Neal..

Emma felt like screaming. _This is a mess…_

**Thanks for reading! Reviews and suggestions are more than welcome **


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